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Environmental Chemistry
Published in Stanley E. Manahan, Environmental Chemistry, 2022
On August 17, 2020, the temperature in Death Valley, California, hit 54.4°C (130°F), which some weather experts contend is the highest temperature ever recorded anywhere on the Earth (two higher temperatures reported in Death Valley in 1913 and in Tunisia in 1931 are not deemed to be from reliable readings). Warming climate and drought are contributing to mass movements of “climate refugees,” such as a flood of Central American refugees to the United States in 2020. These movements are expected to reach epic proportions in future years, causing daunting humanitarian and political problems with major wars a real possibility. It is possible that some areas will become uninhabitable, including Saudi Arabia hit by record heat and a total lack of rainfall and parts of Bangladesh permanently flooded by raising sea levels. The year also saw a record hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico (the farthest in history that the naming of Gulf hurricanes has had to go so far into the Greek alphabet), and at least one record-strongest typhoon ravishing parts of Southeast Asia.1
Deltas in transition
Published in C. Patrick Heidkamp, John Morrissey, Towards Coastal Resilience and Sustainability, 2018
Small island states and large delta areas in particular have been in the spotlight in debates about the consequences of climate change, sea level rise and migration. More often than not, direct causal relationships are assumed between rising sea levels, catastrophic floods, tropical cyclones, coastal erosion and extensive migration flows. Thus, the migration of millions of “climate refugees” appears as an unavoidable consequence of climate change and the resulting environmental changes (e.g. Bierman & Boas, 2010; Myers, 2002). Apart from the fact that the term “refugee” is a legally defined category according to the UNHCR Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (so-called Geneva Convention) and must hence be used with deliberation, many reports in the mass media (and some scientific journals) are using morally charged terminology as well as simplifying causal assumptions about the relationship between environmental changes and migration.
Introduction
Published in Dorothy Gerring, Renewable Energy Systems for Building Designers, 2023
There is a clear call at the present time to pay attention to equity across the world and within cultures. We can no longer choose to squander resources while others have little access to healthy, comfortable living conditions. We cannot continue to alter the world’s climate without concern for the many who end up experiencing loss because of brutal climate impacts. Estimates range on the number of climate refugees there will be by the year 2050, however, UNHCR (the United Nations Refugee Agency) believes the number of people needing aid for climate related disasters could be over 200 million people every year.11
Climate change and water-related threats in the Indian Sundarbans: food security and management implications
Published in International Journal of Water Resources Development, 2023
Pritha Datta, Bhagirath Behera, Dil Bahadur Rahut
The panellists also recommended different measures for increasing food accessibility for the climate-driven temporarily displaced and permanently displaced households in the ISD. For the former, they suggested increasing the number of cyclone shelters with proper amenities and ensuring the availability of food aid. On the other hand, for the latter, the panellists emphasized the importance of securing comparable livelihood opportunities for the displaced communities and identifying climate refugees as a distinct group of displaced individuals to provide them with humanitarian justice (see Table S3 in the supplemental data online). Since climate change is advancing rapidly and leading to the displacement of people, global greenhouse gas emission reduction and the recognition of ‘climate refugees’ are critical for mitigating the effects of rising sea levels and displacement of people. Besides, to manage transportation infrastructure and food supply disruptions following cyclonic storms, the panellists suggested developing floating granaries for food distribution and improving water transport facilities (see Table S3 in the supplemental data online). These measures could involve improving the capacity of existing water transport systems or constructing new ones, as most of the islands in the ISD are interconnected with waterways.
Sedimentation and coastal area management in the human-modified Ganges–Brahmaputra tidal delta plain of Bangladesh
Published in International Journal of River Basin Management, 2022
Md. Bazlar Rashid, Kamrul Ahsan, Abdul Baquee Khan Majlis, Md. Kamrul Ahsan, Arif Mahmud
Bangladesh is one of the densely populated countries in the world and the population of the country has been increasing rapidly at a rate of about 12 people yr−1 km−2 (Rashid et al., 2016). However, in some coastal areas, especially the SW coast, the rate is nearly half of the country’s rate. In this coast, the increasing rate is about 6 people yr−1 km−2. Generally, the coastal areas of the world remain out of flooding and water logging. Bangladesh coast was also free from these hazards only a few years ago. But, in recent years, water logging is prevalent in many parts of the coastal areas of Bangladesh (Auerbach et al., 2015a Masud et al., 2014; Rashid et al., 2013;). Rashid et al. (2013) stated that the water logging areas are increasing day by day due to drainage congestion and land subsidence. From 1978 to 2011, the increasing rate of water logging area was about 31.96 km2 yr−1. On the other hand, salinity in the area is also increasing and these are also affecting the natural biodiversity (Masud et al., 2014; Siddique et al., 2021). World Bank (2000) addressed that in Bangladesh, 10, 25, and 100 cm of SLR by the years 2020, 2050, and 2100 may affect 2, 4, and 17.5% of the total landmass, respectively. A similar statement was also found in the IPCC (2007) report. In the coming decades, therefore, the rising sea level could create more than 20 million climate refugees in Bangladesh (PBS, 2008; Walker, 2010).